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Police commissioner in call for help over Tour de France funding

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by Mark Stead, mark.stead@thepress.co.uk

NORTH Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner has said she is not alone in having funding concerns about next year’s Tour de France after calling for the event’s organisers to help pay for policing costs.

But Julia Mulligan vowed she was fully behind the sporting showcase, the opening stages of which will be held in Yorkshire next July.

She praised the team behind it, despite saying North Yorkshire Police, which will be responsible for more than half the route, had been left in a “very difficult position”

over budgets. A letter from Mrs Mulligan to Gary Verity, chief executive of tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire, said she was disappointed its bid to host Le Grand Depart – whose route will include York – had apparently not budgeted for “realistic policing costs”.

She said: “It has now fallen to us to pick up that cost.

“The initial lack of clarity from yourselves when bidding for this event has left us in a very difficult position as the public sector is under enormous pressure at the moment, with North Yorkshire being no different.”

Mrs Mulligan’s letter also said the budget for policing costs in Yorkshire’s original bid document was inadequate compared to the actual expected bill.

But in a subsequent statement she said: “I want to be clear that I fully support the Tour and thank Gary Verity for doing a brilliant job in bringing it to North Yorkshire.

“Myself and others do feel there is a funding issue to be resolved, and I look forward to those discussions.”

“I’m confident the Grand Depart organising committee and the relevant police forces will get an agreement in place which ensures the public and those involved in the race can enjoy it in a safe and secure way.”

Meanwhile, Hugh Robertson, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, told the House of Commons yesterday that security costs for the Tour de France were Yorkshire's responsibility and not the Government's after it provided £10 million towards the event.

Responding to a question by Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney over security and policing costs, Mr Robertson said: "When we drew up the budget that Sir Rodney Walker now oversees, it was clear the local security costs were to be met from the £11 million which will be raised by Yorkshire.

"If there is controversy about this matter now - I do not know if there is in Yorkshire - it is pretty extraordinary to have bid for an event without working out how the security is to be paid for."

Comments (7)

When asked at a recent meeting in Selby about the policing cost for this event the Commissioner was confident there would not be an issue and the policing in the rest of the county not benefiting from the race would not have to cough up. She was a bit off the mark. But then she is not really on the mark or most things, apart from moving her main office closer to her home

When asked at a recent meeting in Selby about the policing cost for this event the Commissioner was confident there would not be an issue and the policing in the rest of the county not benefiting from the race would not have to cough up. She was a bit off the mark. But then she is not really on the mark or most things, apart from moving her main office closer to her homemyselby

Ignatius Lumpopo wrote:
Shame she blew so much money on that new logo.

Just about to say the same thing - how many hours would the £10,000 you blew of that logo buy? Or how much of your £80,000 salary (for working 5 days a month) pay for?

[quote][p][bold]Ignatius Lumpopo[/bold] wrote:
Shame she blew so much money on that new logo.[/p][/quote]Just about to say the same thing - how many hours would the £10,000 you blew of that logo buy? Or how much of your £80,000 salary (for working 5 days a month) pay for?York1234

We should be only too willing to bear the costs for the honour of hosting this prestigious event. I'm sure the Lendal Bridge fines could be a good mechanism to divert money from motorists to cyclists.

We should be only too willing to bear the costs for the honour of hosting this prestigious event. I'm sure the Lendal Bridge fines could be a good mechanism to divert money from motorists to cyclists.Yorkie Laddie